‘Muti hunters’ go for the genitals

A ZAMBIAN national whose private parts were severely mutilated after he was attacked by three men at Katima Mulilo last week may have been a target for ritual “muti killings”.

The Namibian has established that the Katima Mulilo Police have since arrested the three suspects who allegedly confessed to a series of previous “muti murders” – killing to harvest body parts for either traditional medicine or witchcraft. According to Police sources, the men have claimed that they were acting on instructions from a “prominent local businessman”.The businessman has apparently been interrogated by detectives but has not yet been arrested or charged with any crime.The Commanding Officer of the Katima Mulilo Police Station, Chief Inspector Hieronymus Goraseb, confirmed the arrest of the three suspects on charges of attempted murder.However, he claimed that he was not aware of their alleged confessions.”If there were such killings in the past, they were definitely not brought to the Police’s attention and we have not had family members complaining about missing relatives,” he said.Goraseb promised that the Police would not hesitate to take action, “should evidence become available that the businessman was in fact behind the attack”.Some residents at Katima Mulilo who phoned The Namibian yesterday expressed fear – especially for the lives of their children “since the Police failed to act against the businessman”.”The whole town is gripped with fear since the news came out… they (the children) now have to stay at home the whole day while we are at work,” one woman, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said.Another worried resident said: “These things (muti killings) are happening in Katima.But every time they happen, people just ignore them”.The 42-year-old Zambian victim of last week’s attack – whose identity is being withheld by the authorities – is said to be in a critical condition in the Katima Mulilo State Hospital.According to the Police, the attack took place at about 21h00 on February 11 at Katima Mulilo’s Cowboy location.The victim was on his way home.The three suspects reportedly pulled him into a dark place where they twisted his head while one of them allegedly tried to hack off his genitals.The assailants fled when the man started screaming, but one of them was caught and severely beaten by members of the public.The other two were later arrested with the help of their accomplice.The trio appeared in the Katima Mulilo Magistrate’s Court this week and their the case was remanded until April.They remain in Police custody.Sources at Katima Mulilo told The Namibian that angry members of the public had planned to lynch the accused if the court granted them bail.According to Police sources, the men have claimed that they were acting on instructions from a “prominent local businessman”. The businessman has apparently been interrogated by detectives but has not yet been arrested or charged with any crime. The Commanding Officer of the Katima Mulilo Police Station, Chief Inspector Hieronymus Goraseb, confirmed the arrest of the three suspects on charges of attempted murder. However, he claimed that he was not aware of their alleged confessions. “If there were such killings in the past, they were definitely not brought to the Police’s attention and we have not had family members complaining about missing relatives,” he said. Goraseb promised that the Police would not hesitate to take action, “should evidence become available that the businessman was in fact behind the attack”. Some residents at Katima Mulilo who phoned The Namibian yesterday expressed fear – especially for the lives of their children “since the Police failed to act against the businessman”. “The whole town is gripped with fear since the news came out… they (the children) now have to stay at home the whole day while we are at work,” one woman, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said. Another worried resident said: “These things (muti killings) are happening in Katima. But every time they happen, people just ignore them”. The 42-year-old Zambian victim of last week’s attack – whose identity is being withheld by the authorities – is said to be in a critical condition in the Katima Mulilo State Hospital. According to the Police, the attack took place at about 21h00 on February 11 at Katima Mulilo’s Cowboy location. The victim was on his way home. The three suspects reportedly pulled him into a dark place where they twisted his head while one of them allegedly tried to hack off his genitals. The assailants fled when the man started screaming, but one of them was caught and severely beaten by members of the public. The other two were later arrested with the help of their accomplice. The trio appeared in the Katima Mulilo Magistrate’s Court this week and their the case was remanded until April. They remain in Police custody. Sources at Katima Mulilo told The Namibian that angry members of the public had planned to lynch the accused if the court granted them bail.